Shawwal 2024 Reflections

What’s a Shawwal? Shawwal is the Islamic month that follows Ramadan. It’s a month of consolidation and reflection on Ramadan. Therefore, I thought it would be an idea to share a reflection on this month as it comes to an end.

EiD Ul Fitr 2024

Whilst most people (Muslims included) probably don’t know the name of the month that follows Ramadan, they do know that Eid happens at the end of the month of fasting. Eid ul Fitr is the first day of Shawwal. My Eid day followed what has now become a perdictable pattern for me. When I was kid, it was about getting dressed in my new clothes and trainers, eating a plate of sweet and milky vermicili dessert, collecting a £1 from my dad as an Eid gift and then spending the rest of day playing out with my friend and visiting neighbours houses to eat as much as possible. As a teenager it was about renting a videogame or films (VHS) and binge watching or playing the entire day. As a father of young children, taking my wife and kids out with their cousins, uncles and aunts for some fun and then over to a toy store to spend their eid money.

This eid, I got up bright an early for the Fajr prayer, put the chicken in the oven to roast (we make the best chicken so its been our job on Eid for over a decade), and sat and recited the Qur’an. I took a bath and then woke up my son. Dressed in my best clothes and then headed to Eid prayer with my son in tow. The prayer was led by one of my younger brothers and during supplications to God after the prayer, I weapt for the people who were with us last Ramadan but did not live to see this one, especially the 30,000+ Palestinians that have been slaughtered in the past seven months. After the prayers everyone in the extended community met each other with hugs and handshakes. On my return home, I collected a tray of the now cooked chicken and took it over to my mum’s. There, I had my first meal of the day in the company of my father and my brothers. Savoury rice, a chicken drumstick, a couple of samosas and a kebab. Bear in mind that it was only 10.30am at this point. The rest of the day I spent nursing an upset stomach. My house, as usual, was overrun with nephews and nieces. My wife goes to great lengths to make Eid exciting for them, making them a huge jug of mocktail (this year it was blueberry) and lots of finger foods and desserts. She’d also spent the last few months buying gifts for them too. I mostly hid in my bedroom and the mosque for the rest of the day, occasionally sallying forth to clean up the living room whenever it was vacated for long enough to run the vaccum cleaner through it. I didn’t eat again until 10pm at night.

6 Fasts of Shawwal

One of the key religious observances of Shawwal is to follow up Ramadan with another 6 days of fasting. Some people spread the fasting out through the month (Mondays and Thursdays). I prefer to do them consecutively from the 2nd of Shawwal onwards. My work colleagues and students think I’m a self-masochist for doing this. I explain to them that its like a bonus level to multiply the reward gained from fasting in Ramadan. The lunar year is around 360 days. Each day of fasting in Ramadan and Shawwal is the equivalent of fasting 10 days outside of this period. Therefore, fasting during Ramadan and then the 6 days of Shawwal is like fasting all year. The tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) states as much: “Whoever fasts Ramadan and follows it with six days of Shawwal, it will be as if he fasted for a lifetime.” (Sunan Ibn Majah 1716). During this time, I felt like I had left a part of me in seclusion in the masjid and I found myself missing the simiplicity of the life I had experienced during the 10 days I had spent in the masjid during Ramadan.

Consolidation Phase

At the start of this post, I noted that Shawwal was about consolidating the practices that had been nurtured during Ramadan. The 6 days of fasting is to aid in this process. Unfortunately, I have found myself falling short of my Ramadan routine. However, I have stuck to some of the good practices developed. The world leverages a constant demand on us, trying to draw us further and further into its coils. This has never been more true than right now with our international consumer culture. Watch this, read this, play this, do this, eat this, drink that. The messaging is constant and multifactored. It is therefore ever more important for all of us, Muslims and non-Muslims alike to focus on spiritual wellbeing and dedicate some time to reflection, meditation and prayer. For Muslims this consists of spending 10 minutes five times a day to pray to God, 10-20 minutes of recitation of the Qur’an and regular supplication, rememberance of God and salutations on the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is important not to become despondent if one struggles to achieve a deeper sense of spirituality. As with many things in life, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Develop regular practices bit by bit until you are able to maintain them without effort before adding on further practices. As a suggestion, try the following:

• In the morning, spend 5 minutes sitting quietly and focus on your breath. (If you are a Muslim, spend 10 minutes after Fajr reading Sura Yaseen.
• During your lunch break, take a 10 minute walk outside to clear your head. (Muslims, walk to the masjid or the prayer room, and try and include at least two sunnah prayers after your fardh prayer).
• On your commute home, instead of listenting to music or podcasts, spend the journey home reflecting on your day. (Muslims, use this time for durood, salutations, or zikr, rememberance).
• In the evening, switch off from all your screens and spend the last half hour of your day medidating on all the good things in your life and give gratitude to the Creator. (Muslims, do this and also read Sura Mulk before you go to sleep).

As you get older, naturally you will begin to feel a distancing from the worldly life and desire to look inwards and heavenwards. That’s why, for now, I am content that as long as I can maintain the practices I have added to my routine, I will see improvement and that deepeninig of spirtuality that I have been seeking. May the All-Mighty make it easier for all of us.

If you found this content useful, please feel free to leave a like and share your own reflections on the past month in the comments section.